Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty fifth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
With success not in sight and the endless ocean standing between them and any further progress, the spirits of the vAnaras hit rock bottom. In such desperate moments, the fear of being mercilessly killed by sugrIva for not being successful added to the frustration. It affected prince angada who was the leader of the pack. As other vAnara leaders rallied behind him, they thought of ways to escape a death penalty at the hands of sugrIva rather than how the mission at hand can be progressed. While on one hand, the support that angada was gathering was heartening from his own leadership point of view and the future of the vAnaras, it didn’t help the current mission. Determined to save the mission, hanumAn began to play mind games and sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of angada. He articulated his point brilliantly and removed any illusions that the vAnaras had of saving themselves from the wrath of lakshmaNa if they didn’t succeed and add to that, ran away from reporting back. He emphasized to angada that the support the vAnaras are showing now would vanish at the first hint of a crisis. He was winning angada back into the mission. Onwards…
Listening to the words of hanumAn which were in accordance with dharma and were feting the vAnara king, angada replied –
स्थैर्यमात्ममनश्शौचमानृशंस्यमथाऽर्जवम्।
विक्रमश्चैव धैर्यं च सुग्रीवे नोपपद्यते।।4.55.2।।
“sugrIva doesn’t have firmness, purity of soul and mind, compassion, uprightness, valour and courage. While his elder brother vAlI was alive and fighting in the cave, he closed the mouth of the cave with the boulder and usurped his wife who was actually like mother to him. How does such an abominable person be aware of what dharma is. He who made a promise to rAghava, extracted a favor and then forgot him – whose favor will he remember? He who ordered the quest of sItA for the fear of lakshmaNa and not for fear of dharma, how can righteousness dwell in him? He is sinner, ungrateful, forgets favors and fickle minded. Which honorable person will repose his faith in him, especially from his clan? One would like to install his own son on the throne even if he is virtuous or otherwise. That being so, how will sugrIva allow me, an enemy’s son to be alive? With my strategy failed and depleted support, how can I survive like a weakling after going to kishkindhA?The treacherous, evil and violent sugrIva, for the sake of the kingdom will arrest me and inflict punishment that no one will know of.
उपांशुदण्डेन हि मां बन्धनेनोपपादयेत् ।
शठः क्रूरो नृशंसश्च सुग्रीवो राज्यकारणात् ॥ 4.55.10
Than being arrested so and ill-treated it is better that I fast unto death. O vAnaras, you have my permission to go home. For sure, I am not going back home. I shall sit right here and await my death through fasting. That indeed is the better option for me.
अभिवादनपूर्वं हि राघवौ बलशालिनौ।
अभिवादनपूर्वं तु राजा कुशलमेव च।।4.55.13।।
Convey my respects to the rAghava duo – rAma and lakshmaNa as well as the younger brother of my father, king sugrIva. Convey my inquiry of her welfare to mother rumA. Naturally, my mother tArA who is virtuous and compassionate is very fond of me. Hearing the news of my destruction, she will give up her life. Please console her”.
Having said this much, angada shed copious tears and spreading darbha grass on the earth, sat down on that. Beholding him thus, other vAnara warriors also joined him shedding warm tears. They were blaming sugrIva and praising vAlI and having decided to follow the actions of angada, spread darbha grass on the earth with its tip pointing south on the northern shore of the sea. On that they sat facing east and sipped water as a symbol to begin their fast. They thought that was indeed the best course of action.
They recalled the exile of rAma, death of daSaratha, martyrdom of jaTAyU in the janasthAna, abduction of sItA , the felling of vAlI and the wrath of rAma. And as they did so, they were terrified with fear. That mountain on which the mountainous vAnaras sat and their unrest that resulted in clamor made it look like the mountain was full of thunderous clouds.
स संविशद्भिबहुभिर्महीधरो
महाद्रिकूटप्रतिमैः प्लवङ्गमैः।
बभूव सन्नादितनिर्दरान्तरो
भृशं नदद्भिर्जलदैरिवोल्बणैः।।4.55.23।।
Here we conclude the fifty fifth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 4.56. They encounter a salivating sampAtI
Previous: 4.54. Sowing seeds of doubt and saving the mission
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
